Structure for seating vacuum cleaner cover



Dec. 11, 1956 A. o. ENGBERG STRUCTURE FOR SEATING VACUUM CLEANER COVERFiled Dec. 10, 1953 I INVENTOR. YWWMY arranwzr United States Patent'QSTRUCTURE FOR SEATING VACUUM CLEANER COVER Axel Olof Engberg, Stockholm,Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Elektrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, acorporation of Sweden Application December 10, 1953, Serial No. 397,385

Claims priority, application Sweden December 20, 1952 8 Claims. (Cl.183-51) My invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the type which employa removable dust collecting member, and it is an object of the inventionto provide an improvement to prevent seating of a cover at an accessopening of such a cleaner unless a dust collecting member is positionedtherein.

Operating a vacuum cleaner of this type, with the dust collecting memberremoved from the space in which it is normally positioned, isobjectionable, because parts of the electric motor of the motor fan unitare exposed to dust and dirt which is entrained in air drawn into theinterior of the cleaner. This often occurs when the dust collectingmember is removed, as for cleaning or replacing with another member, forexample, and the cover, which is removed to gain access to the dustcollecting member, inadvertently is subsequently secured in positionwithout first inserting a dust collecting member within the vacuumcleaner.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds, and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingin which:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a vacuum cleaner embodyingmy invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of part of theconstruction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig, 2 with the details of thedust collecting member omitted; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view like that of Fig. 2 illustrating anotherembodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawing, the vacuum cleaner which Ihave shown embodying my invention includes a casing having a space 11 atone end thereof which receives a dust collecting member 12. The dustcollecting member 12 comprises a filter bag 14 which may be formed offabric or other suitable material permeable to air, and a part 15 ofannular form which is fixed to the bag at the open end thereof. The part15, which is essentially ring-shaped and serves as a reenforcement, isformed with an outwardly extending flange 16 to which is fixed a gasket17 which may be formed of resilient ma terial like rubber, for example.

A front cover 18 is provided for the casing 10 to close the accessopening 19 of space 11 and also effectively hold the gasket 17 betweenthe end of the casing and the cover, in a manner which will be describedpresently. Although not shown, the cover 18 and also a rear hood 20 maybe fixed to the casing with any suitable fastening provisions.

The casing 10 is provided with a handle 21 and also a pair of runners 22to facilitate movement thereof on a supporting surface. The cover 18 isformed with a central opening 23 to receive an end of a suction hose(not 2,773,557 Patented Dec. 11, 1956 shown) adapted to be removablysecured to the opening in the cover in any suitable manner. Suitablecleaning appliances are connected to the outer free end of the suctionhose through which air is drawn into the interior of the casing 10 by amotor fan unit (not shown) which may be positioned adjacent the filterbag 14.

During operation of the vacuum cleaner, air is drawn into the interiorof the casing 10 through the opening 23 in the cover 18. Dust and dirtentrained in the air during a cleaning operation collect in the filterbag 14, and air free of such dust and dirt passes through the filter bagand flows through the casing and is eventually discharged by the motorfan unit through an end opening in the rear hood 20.

In accordance with my invention, I provide the cover 18 which is smallerthan the access opening 19 into the space 11, so that the vacuum cleanercannot be operated with the cover in its closed position until the dustcollecting member 12 is properly positioned in the interior of thecasing 10. In Figs. 1 to 3 the casing 10 i provided with an end ring 24having an inwardly extending flange 25 which defines the access opening19 into the space 11. The diameter of the cover 18 is smaller than thatof the access opening 19 so that, when the dust collecting member 12 isremoved from the space 11, the cover 18 can be moved through the accessopening 19 into the space 11 of the casing 10 in the manner shown inFig. 3.

However, when the dust collecting member 12 is inserted into the space11 and properly positioned therein, the gasket 17 acts against theflange 25 which constitutes a shoulder or abutment at the open end ofthe casing 10 and serves to position the dust collecting member. Underthese conditions the ring-shaped part 15, including the gasket 17carried by the flange part 16 thereof, forms a seat for the cover 18,thereby rendering the latter eflective to close the access opening 19 ofthe casing, as best shown in Fig. 2. With the cover 18 properly seatedagainst the ring-shaped part 15 and also bearing resiliently against thegasket 17 carried thereby, the cover may be removably secured to thecasing 10 with any suitable fastening provisions. By way of example andwithout limitation, the cover 18 may be removably secured to the casingby fastening means like that disclosed in Lundvall Patent No, 1,944,291.

The embodiment of Fig. 4 diflers from the embodiment just described inthat the part 15a of annular form, to which the filter bag 14a issecured, is provided with an outer rim portion 15b which is held betweengaskets 17a and 17b held on the cover 18a and open end of the casing10a, respectively. As shown in Fig. 4, the cover 18a and end ring 24aare formed to provide ring-shaped grooves which receive the gaskets 17aand 17b, respec tively, which are desirably formed of a resilientmaterial like rubber, for example.

The inner diameter of the gasket 17b is greater than the outer diameterof the gasket 17a, and the outer rim 15b of the ring-shaped part 15a,which is clamped between the gaskets 17a and 1717 when the cover 18a ispositioned to close the access opening 19a, slopes inwardly from thegasket on the casing 10a to the gasket on the cover 18a. When the dustcollecting member 12a is removed from the space 11a, it will be evidentthat the cover 18a will pass through the access opening 19a and cannotbe secured in position at the open end of the casing 10a.

In view of the foregoing, it will now be understood that in both of theembodiments illustrated and described above, the size and shape of thefront end cover are so related to the size and shape of the accessopening that, when the dust collecting member is removed from the spacein which it is ordinarily positioned during normal operation of thevacuum cleaner. the cover cannot be positioned on the casing to closethe access opening. In accord with the invention, it is necessary toinsert the dust collecting member into position in the interior of thecasing at the access opening before the cover can be mounted on thecasing to close theaccess-opening, whereby the ring-shaped part or rimof the dust collecting memher at the vicinity of the air inlet endthereof can provide a seat for the cover and maintain the latter in itsclosed position when the cover is removably secured to the casing in anywell known manner.

Although I have illustrated and described particular embodiments of myinvention, I do not desire to be limited to the particular arrangementsset forth, and I intend in the following claims to cover allmodifications which do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of myinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an opening into the interiorthereof and a cover for the opening, a dust collecting member throughwhich air is adapted to pass, said dust collecting member normally beingposilioned in the-interior of said casing within said cover,

, positioning means providing a seat for retaining said dust collectingmember in its normal position, said cover being movable into theinterior of said casing past said positioning means when said dustcollecting member is withdrawn from said casing, and means includingsaid dust collecting member, when the latter is seated on saidpositioning means, to provide a seat for holding said cover in positionat the opening of said casing.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an access opening, a dustcollecting member having a rim part, said member being insertable intothe interior of said casing at the access opening, positioning meansproviding a seat for retaining said rim part in position when saidmember is disposed in the interior of said casing, a cover for closingthe opening, said cover being movable into the interior of said casingpast said positioning means when said member is withdrawn from saidcasing, and means including said rim part, when the latter is seated onsaid positioning means, to provide a seat for holding said cover inposition at the access opening of said casing.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which said means to provide aseat for said cover includes gasket means for said rim part, saidpositioning means including an abutment on said casing at which regionsaid gasket means is retained in position when the access opening isclosed by said cover.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in'which saidcover includes a firstgasket and said positioning means includes a second gasket on saidcasing, said rim part being held between said gaskets when the accessopening is closed by said cover.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which said rim part comprises anelement extending about said member which serves as a reenforcement,said element'being clamped between said gaskets when the access openingis closed by said cover.

6. Apparatus as' set forth in claim 5 'in'which said gaskets are 01annular form, the overall cross-sectional area of said gasket on saidcover being smaller than the cross-sectional area of the opening definedby said gasket on said casing.

'7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said gaskets arering-shaped with the outer-diameter of said gasket on said cover beingsmaller than the inner diam- .eter of said gasket on said casing, saidelement at said rim part being ring shaped and sloping inwardly fromsaid gasket on said casing to said gasket on said cover when saidelement is clamped therebetween.

8. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an opening into the interiorthereof and a cover for the opening, a dust collectingmember throughwhich air is adapted to pass, said dust collecting member normally beingpositioned in the interior of said casingwithin said cover, positioningmeans providing a seat for retaining said dust collecting member inposition, said cover being movable into the interior of said casing pastthe seat provided by said positioning means for said dust collectingmember when the latter is withdrawn from said casing, and meansincluding said dust collecting member, when the latter is seated on saidpositioning means, to provide a seat for holding said cover in positionat the opening of said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS971,895 Ioedicke Oct. 4, 1910 2,233,167 Holm-Hansen Feb. 25, 19412,322,948 Lofgren June 29, 1943 2,539,195 Lang Ian. 23, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS 129,866 Switzerland Jan. 2, 1929 26,998 Great Britain Dec. 12,1908 265,965 Great Britain Aug. 4, 1927 469,379 Great Britain July23,1937

486,673 Canada -Sept. 23,-.1952

